But First, Coffee

Tariffs, supply chain disruptions, and economic uncertainty have landed squarely in HR's lap. John and Jackye talk through what HR leaders are actually doing when the business environment shifts faster than any workforce plan can accommodate, and how to lead teams through decisions that cannot wait for clarity. Key Takeaways: Trade policy volatility is not just a finance problem — it forces HR to...

Hiring teams did not ask for hundreds of applications per role, but that is the reality right now. John and Jackye dig into what happens when volume becomes the enemy of quality, how AI-generated resumes are distorting the top of the funnel, and what recruiters can actually do to find real candidates inside the noise. Key Takeaways: The surge in applicant volume is driven by AI tools that make mas...

Oracle just cut 30,000 jobs before most people finished their first cup, all to fund AI data centers. A new CEO survey reveals AI-driven cuts will be 9x higher than previously projected. This episode digs into what happens when workforce decisions are made by financial models instead of people managers, and what HR leaders need to do about it right now. Key Takeaways: Oracle's 30,000-person layoff...

What happens when HR's biggest conference meets your favorite coffee-fueled duo? John Humareso and Jackye Clayton hit the Transform 2026 conference floor for a live swag report, grading the best (and worst) vendor merchandise on display. Key Takeaways: The swag game at HR tech conferences reveals more about a brand than any booth demo Best-in-show items that attendees actually kept versus what hit...

Hiring sounds clean in demos and messy in real life. In this episode, John and Jackye talk about what candidates and hiring teams are actually experiencing right now. Broken systems, tools without ownership, and AI that can organize data but can't replace judgment. This is an honest look at talent acquisition without the vendor gloss. Key Takeaways: The gap between how hiring tools are sold and ho...

AI is reshaping how we work, hire, and communicate. But what happens to the human side of branding when algorithms are writing the first draft? In this special Friday edition of But First, Coffee, recorded live from TalentNet in Austin, Jackye Clayton and John Baldino dig into what it means to build and maintain a human brand in an AI-driven world. They explore where AI helps, where it falls short...

Workplace tension is rising as employees bring heightened emotions from social media, politics, and cultural flashpoints into the office. This episode explores how HR professionals and leaders can help teams navigate charged environments, practice self-regulation, and maintain civil discourse without silencing diverse viewpoints. Key Takeaways: Gratitude is a powerful tool for resetting emotional...

Nobody warns you that leadership is lonely. Jackye Clayton and John Baldino have an honest conversation about what happens when you step into a leadership role and realize that your work friends may no longer be your friends, your decisions will make you a target, and no one prepared you for the isolation. From personal stories about transparent bosses to parenting as leadership practice, they exp...

What does real inclusion look like beyond mission statements and policies? Jackye Clayton and guest Kate Johnson of 123 Limited dig into why inclusion fails when it centers comfort instead of belonging. From the beehive model of leadership development to the dangers of treating work like family, they explore how succession planning, feedback culture, and systemic design determine whether people ac...

What happens when loyalty to your employer stops serving you? In this candid conversation, Jackye Clayton and guest Jeremy Roberts unpack the tension between workplace fulfillment and organizational loyalty during an unpredictable economy. From navigating layoffs and fractional work to protecting your professional network, they explore why prioritizing loyalty to yourself, your skills, and your pe...

Clarity and transparency are among the most overused words in organizational culture—yet most companies cannot define them in practice. In this episode of But First, Coffee, Jackye Clayton and John Baldino break down what organizational clarity actually requires, why HR professionals are often the worst at managing change despite owning the process, and how inconsistency silently destroys employee...

Jackye Clayton and John Baldino close out their two-part 2025 hangover series by examining what leaders are doing instead of actually leading. They explore how leadership has evolved from Mad Men-era control to today's caricatures of yesteryear, and why many leaders mask insecurity by producing word salad instead of defining what success looks like. The conversation challenges annual performance e...

Jackye Clayton and John Baldino dig into why 2026 feels like a continuation of 2025 rather than a fresh start. They challenge the idea that HR is overburdened, arguing instead that HR is under-empowered and has been since COVID gave the function a false sense of importance through compliance tasks. The conversation unpacks how AI and technology tools are dumbing down talent acquisition by reducing...

Jackye Clayton and John Baldino kick off 2026 with predictions for employees and companies alike. They discuss why retention rates will improve this year but warn that staying does not mean loyalty -- it means safety. The conversation dives into U-Haul migration data showing Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina as the top five destination states and what that means for whe...

HR has heard "you need a seat at the table" for decades, but the real problem isn't the seat, it's proving strategic impact instead of just tactical execution. John Baldino and Jackye Clayton unpack what actually earns HR influence, why so many practitioners struggle to advocate for themselves, and what a very public SHRM lawsuit says about accountability in the profession. Key Takeaways: A "seat...

Jackye Clayton and John Baldino break down what benefits truly mean to employees in 2025 and where the system is headed. They explain why health benefits remain the number one concern for workers, how mental health coverage is now being embedded by dental and vision providers, and why COBRA costs are devastating for displaced workers. The episode tackles age-banding pricing as legalized ageism, th...

Gratitude sounds easy until life actually gets hard, and this episode leans into exactly that tension. Jackye Clayton and John Baldino talk through practicing thankfulness during a genuinely difficult year, redefining career identity without shame, and why leaning on the benefits already sitting in front of you is its own form of gratitude. Key Takeaways: Gratitude is a discipline you choose, not...

Jackye Clayton and John Baldino tackle the real emotions behind career transitions and economic hardship during this gratitude-themed episode. They discuss how to practice genuine thankfulness when you are out of work, dealing with personal loss, or facing an uncertain future. The conversation covers Zoom's acquisition of BrightHire, the enduring relevance of platforms like Hack-a-Job, fresh job m...

In this live episode recorded ahead of TalentNet 25 in Dallas, Jackye Clayton and John Baldino unpack why over one million jobs were cut in 2025 -- the worst rate since 2003 -- and what that means for HR professionals, consultants, and job seekers. They explore the difference between thought leadership and thought agitation, how overhiring from 2020-2022 created today's correction, and why technol...

In this Halloween episode, Jackye Clayton and John Baldino confront workplace toxicity head-on, connecting the massive wave of layoffs across Amazon, UPS, Intel, and Paramount to the fear-driven cultures they leave behind. They explore how companies simultaneously laying off thousands while posting new jobs creates confusion and distrust, why HR professionals are staying silent out of self-preserv...

Broadcasting live from RecFest Nashville, John Baldino and Jackye Clayton bring you inside the outdoor recruiting festival that is unlike any other HR conference. Walking the grounds with laptop in hand, John shares firsthand observations from the festival-style event where real talent acquisition practitioners, not polished keynote speakers, share what is actually working at their organizations....

Jackye Clayton and John Baldino dig into how hiring bias manifests not just in human decision-making but deep inside the technology, processes, and systems organizations rely on every day. They reveal how applicant tracking systems create barriers for blue-collar workers, why AI tools learn and replicate manager bias over time, and how poorly written job descriptions quietly filter out top talent....

Jackye Clayton and John Baldino tackle the uncomfortable truth about manager training and its direct impact on employee experience. They expose why promoting top performers into management often backfires, how punitive training creates resistance instead of growth, and why organizations spend more time teaching software than building leadership skills. Drawing from their own experience as corporat...

What happens to a person's sense of self when they lose their job — and how do organizations, employees, and HR leaders navigate that experience with empathy? This episode of But First, Coffee examines the emotional, psychological, and practical realities of layoffs. Jackye Clayton and John Baldino explore why how a company handles a reduction in force reveals its true values, and what displaced w...

Broadcasting live from the HR Technology Conference in Las Vegas, John Baldino gives an unfiltered look at the biggest trends, missed opportunities, and real conversations happening on the expo floor. He challenges the sea of identical agentic AI messaging from vendors, highlights why the startup area is the hidden gem of the conference, and explains why behavioral AI diagnostics represent the nex...